Volleyball

MVC Volleyball Weekly Notebook (Sept. 7)

Player of the Week: Cassidy Hartman, Northern Iowa
Defensive Player of the Week: Grace Hannam, Northern Iowa
Libero of the Week: Jadyn Petersen, Northern Iowa

Cassidy Hartman was a dominant force offensively and defensively for the Panthers. The senior outside hitter led UNI with 5.5 kills per set during the tournament and surpassed 1,000 career kills, becoming just the 32nd player in program history to reach the milestone. Hartman opened the weekend with a career-high 27 digs and 26 kills in a 3-1 victory over Air Force, recording a double-double and helping UNI control the match from both sides of the net. She followed that performance with 31 kills against South Dakota, establishing another career high and becoming the first Panther since 2018 to record 30 or more kills in a match. Hartman also helped produce UNI’s 32nd 20-20 match in program history and the first since 2023.

Grace Hannam provided a consistent presence at the net throughout the tournament. The sophomore middle blocker led UNI with 15 total blocks across three matches, averaging 1.25 blocks per set. Hannam recorded six blocks against Air Force and five against Utah Valley, giving her five-plus blocks in consecutive matches. She has now recorded at least four blocks in each of UNI’s first six matches of the season, establishing herself as a key piece of the Panthers' defensive effort at the net.

Jadyn Petersen anchored UNI’s back-row defense with an impressive weekend. The junior defensive specialist/libero averaged 5.7 digs per set at the South Dakota Classic and posted a career-high 28 digs in UNI’s opening-match victory over Air Force. Petersen also recorded her second career double-double in that match, adding a season-high 12 assists. She posted a perfect reception percentage for the weekend on 55 attempts, and added three service aces during the tournament.

Conference News & Notes

  • Belmont was one of two Valley programs to end its weekend with a win, topping Middle Tennessee in five sets, with two sets needing extra points to decide a winner. All six of the Bruins’ matches this season have been five setters.
  • Eirini Bitsaktsi has been the anchor of Bradley’s back-row defense through the opening six matches of the season. The junior libero leads the Braves with 107 digs and 4.86 digs per set while posting a .953 reception percentage on 86 attempts.
  • Drake went 1-1 at the Wildcat Classic this weekend, as Lisa Melenciano led the Bulldogs, averaging 5.00 kills and 1.38 blocks per set. The senior tallied a career-high 27 kills in a win over CSUN and was named to the All-Tournament Team. 
  • Evansville’s Ryan Scheu and Carsyn Kelley rank inside the top five in the MVC in hitting percentage (.345) and assists per set (8.23), respectively. Kendall Agler also ranks inside the top five in the league, averaging 3.92 digs per frame.
  • UIC completed the reverse sweep of St. Thomas on Friday afternoon, as senior Tamara Kisic led the Flames with 13 kills and 16 digs. Emma Colombari added 11 kills and seven digs, while rookie Robyn Ward posted five kills and six blocks in her collegiate debut.
  • After dropping its season opener, Illinois State has won its last five matches while dropping just two sets in that span. The Redbirds’ 5-1 record marks the team’s best six-match start to a season since the 2019 squad reached seven wins before picking up their second loss of the year.
  • After finishing two kills shy of a triple-double on Friday night, Indiana State’s Hadley Hardersen led the team with a triple-double of 11 kills on a .429 hitting percentage, 15 assists, and 13 digs against Missouri State on Saturday. The triple-double marks the second of her career.
  • With a sweep of Northern Illinois, Murray State’s Tristyn Krzos earned her first career victory as acting head coach of the Racers. 
  • Cassidy Hartman notched the 32nd 20-20 performance in UNI program history in a four-set win over Air Force, posting the most digs (27) by a Panther in a 20-20 match since Natalie Waters recorded 28 against Illinois State in 1993. Her 27 digs are also the most in a match by a non-defensive specialist in the league this season.
  • The Salukis are off to their best start (5-1) since 2023, while it’s just the ninth time since the turn of the century that SIU has started a campaign with a 5-1 ledger. 
  • A standout performance from the setter position for Olivia Wagner on Saturday evening propelled the Beacons to a win over Oakland. The sophomore dished out 57 assists, tied for second-most in a four-set match by a Valpo player in the 25-point era and just one shy of the record.